PUTRAJAYA – The Immigration Department is awaiting a full report from the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), which yesterday revealed that severe violence and abuse by several Immigration officers toward Rohingya detainees were among the factors leading to the escape of 131 individuals from the temporary immigration depot in Bidor, Perak, on February 1.
Action can only be taken after the full report is received, as per subsection 27(4) of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission Act 2009.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban emphasised that the department takes the EAIC’s findings of physical and mental abuse by several Immigration officers between 2020 and 2021 very seriously.
“The Immigration Department will not tolerate any form of abuse of power by its officers.
“If there is evidence of violence or abuse, we will take strict action against the officers involved under existing laws,” he said in a statement.
The EAIC revealed that this finding was part of its investigation based on complaints received from the Rohingya detainees who escaped from the Bidor Temporary Immigration Depot in Perak on February 1.
In managing Immigration Depots, Zakaria stated that the department consistently adheres to international standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (The Nelson Mandela Rules).
The Immigration Department also complies with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) guidelines on Healthcare in Detention, the Immigration (Administration and Management of Immigration Depots) Regulations 2003, and the Director-General of Immigration’s Standing Orders on the Administration and Management of Immigration Depots, he added.
The Immigration Department operates 25 immigration depots, which consist of 18 existing depots, five Baitul Mahabbah facilities, and two temporary depots. – October 17, 2024